Broadband India Forum (BIF) has welcomed the government’s draft notification to exempt the 5925–6425 MHz band from licensing. As per BIF, it is a long-overdue and much-needed first step towards unlocking the immense potential of the 6 GHz band for India’s digital and economic transformation. It places India on the same path taken by over 84 nations that have already delicensed either part or all of this band—truly a step in the right direction.

Commenting on the draft notification, T.V. Ramachandran, president, BIF, said, “While a notable milestone, this is just the prologue to the full story. The true transformative power of the 6GHz band can only be harnessed when we move beyond this initial suboptimal chunk of 500 MHz. The complete benefits of license exemption of 6GHz spectrum band can only be realised when at least an additional 160 MHz is delicensed – bringing the total to at least 660 MHz. This would ensure that at least two users could get a 320 MHz wide channel simultaneously for high-speed applications and data usage and will also ensure that any combination of channel bandwidths of 320, 160 and 80 MHz could be used for deployment of advanced Wi-Fi technologies viz. Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7.”

As demonstrated by Australia, which initially delicensed 500 MHz (5945-6425 MHz) and then Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) (Australia’s regulator), added a further 160 MHz upon review of interference modelling. India too must rapidly move to make at least 660 MHz delicensed.

Ramachandran added, “A fraction of the band cannot deliver the full-scale impact we seek. An adequate chunk of delicensed 6 GHz band is required in order to power next-generation technologies like Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 which are set to become foundational to our digital public infrastructure. This would serve as the backbone for delivering affordable, high-speed, low-latency connectivity, powering smart schools, hospitals, factories, cities and villages and breathe life into the vision of Viksit Bharat.”

A policy decision to delicense the entire 6 GHz band would pay dividends both to the Indian exchequer and the planet.

  • A WIK Consult study found that using 6 GHz for licensed mobile (IMT) use results in approximately 16 per cent more energy consumption, leading to 3.2 megatons additional carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per year in the European Union (EU). Scaled to India’s size, delicensing the 6 GHz band could avoid 10–15 megatons of CO2 annually. This aligns with India’s net-zero by 2070 roadmap and supports city-level decarbonisation efforts via energy-efficient broadband.
  • The economic logic for delicensing the entire 6 GHz band eventually is unassailable. A 2024 India-specific study by Dr Raúl Katz for the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance estimated the cumulative economic value of full delicensing of the 6GHz band at a staggering $4,030 billion (Rs 3,425 trillion) over 2024–2034.

Ramachandran further stated, “A good beginning, but we are still scratching the surface with a somewhat delayed and somewhat limited spectrum allocation. At a time when developed economies enjoy nearly 20 times more unlicensed spectrum than India, we cannot afford to tread slowly or rest on incrementalism. Let us not settle for a tentative step when a giant leap is within our grasp. A great deal more remains to be done to fully unleash the promise of the 6 GHz band for India’s digital future.”